Calling Down in NL Hold'em
Introduction
In this article
- Whether the concept of calling down can be applied to NL at all
- Differences in calling down (FL and NL)
- When you can play a calldown line
Any experienced FL player starting out in NL games should be very familiar with the concept of calling down. You do so when you have a hand with enough equity against your opponent's range to justify calling further bets in order to reach the showdown.
In this article, you will learn how to transfer this concept to NL Hold'em and what the differences between FL and NL are.
The math behind a calldown in Fixed Limit Hold'em
You can easily determine whether or not a calldown in a FL game was mathematically correct rather easily. Most decisions to call down are made after the action on the flop or turn, or when a specific card appears on the board.
Limit: $5/$10
6 players
UTG: 68,4/47,9/1,4/57,8
Pre-flop: (6 players) Hero is BB with Q
J
UTG folds, UTG+1 calls, 3 folds, Hero raises, UTG+1 calls.
Flop: 6
Q 7
(4.4SB, 2 players)
Hero bets, UTG+1 calls.
Turn: 8 (3.2BB, 2 players)
Hero bets, UTG+1 raises, Hero calls.
River: 2 (7.2BB, 2 players)
Hero checks, UTG+1 bets, Hero calls.
You're the BB and have top pair with a good kicker when your opponent raises your bet on the turn. The question is, how much equity do you have against his range?
The decision to call down can be reduced to a simple mathematical formula:
E = equity of your hand against the opponent's hand range
P = pot size after the opponent's raise on the turn (in Big Bets)
Bg = expected number of big bets from the opponent until showdown
Bc = expected number of big bets to be called until showdown
EV(Calldown) = E * (P + Bg) - (1-E) * Bc
E > Bc / (P + Bg + Bc)
We apply this formula to our example to find out the minimal amount of equity needed to call down:
P = 6,25 BBs
Bc = 2 BBs
Bg = 1 BB
E > 2 / (6,25 + 1 + 2)
E > 21.62%
Calling down is +EV when your hand has more than 21.62% equity against your opponent's hand range for raising on the turn and betting on the river.
We will assume your opponent's hand is somewhere in this range:
QQ+, 88-66, AQs, KQs, Q2s+, 95s, 86s+, 76s, 54s, AQo, KQo, Q2o+, 95o, 86o+, 76o, 54o
He could have anything from top pair, two pair, a set or even a straight with this range. Since, however, you have 30.7% equity against his entire range, calling down is +EV.
Note: This formula has been simplified for the sake of this article. You can find a better analytical approach to call downs in the gold article "Call Downs", in the Fixed Limit Strategy section.
This example shows that calling down with TPGK can be profitable FL. Our question now is whether or not this approach can be applied to a similar situation in NL games.
The Difficulties in NL
Applying the above formula to NL presents a number of difficulties, mostly in defining the variables in our formula. The only variable you define exactly is the size of the pot, since it's written on the screen. There is, however, no way of knowing how large the bets are going to be.
You can't make your decision from a mathematical point of view without the values of the most important variables. The bets in NL have a tendency to fluctuate wildly, which makes matters even worse.
If your opponent min-raises the Big Blind from the Small Blind and bets half the pot on every street, the bet size will develop as follows:
- Pot on flop: 4 BBs -> Bet on flop 2 BBs
- Pot on turn: 8 BBs -> Bet on turn: 4 BBs
- Pot on river: 16 BBs -> Bet on river 8 BBs
- Pot at showdown: 32 BBs
Clearly, you can see that the bet sizes grow dramatically as you approach the river. You could use our formula if you had a good read and know your opponent always bets 1/2 pot on the river after having bet 1/2 pot on the turn:
E > 12 / (16 + 12 + 8)
E > 33%
The higher bet sizes are the reason why you need more equity to stay in the hand.
And this presents the first problem when trying to apply the calldown concept to NL. You simply can't make calldown decisions based on mathematics in NL the same way you can in FL games.
If you have a hand that you would like to see a showdown with, the turn can always pose a big problem for you. When your opponent confronts you with a bet on the turn, you have to ask yourself if he is going to bet again on the river, and if so, how much (which all, of course, depends in part on the size of his stack). There is little sense in calling a turn bet with a hand that you will have to fold to a 1/3 pot size bet on the river.
Many of your opponent's will take advantage of the fold equity resulting from this fear and bet on the river. Don't develop the bad habit of calling on the turn with the intent of calling any bet on the river. This can be a costly leak.
Calling down in NL Hold'em
From what you've read so far, you should be thinking there is little sense in calling down in No-Limit Hold'em. But you've only heard half of the story. However, this subject must be addressed from a completely different approach. We will now take a look at a few situations, in which you could call down in a NL game, and the theory behind such a decision. We cannot, however, address this subject from a purely mathematical standpoint.
Here are the reasons why calling down can also be sensible in NL Hold'em.
More and more focus is being placed on pot control in NL games these days. Call flop, raise turn, bet river is hardly ever played with a marginal hand with showdown value. The No-Limit nature of the game generally causes such lines to result in isolating better hands while bringing weaker hands to fold. The bet on the river can rarely be defined as a value bet.
Most players therefore tend to play such hands for pot control, so that their opponents can feel like they have a chance of winning the showdown.
This tends to go hand in hand with pot control. When you have a hand with showdown value oop, you can also induce a bluff as you play for pot control. The decision to make this move is usually made on the turn, since you then have a good idea of how large the pot can/will be at the showdown.
The article "What to do if you are way ahead / way behind?" showed you that a passive check/call line can be your best option in some situations.
This call down comes close to that of a FL game, but there are still some differences. You generally decide to call a bet one street in advance, and regardless of the next community card, since you know what size your opponent's bet will be. This is not possible in NL.
You need to pay attention to the size of the bet and changes in the board texture (or timing tells). Once you reach the next thing, you need to decide again according to the same factors if calling is your best option. Play passively, but don't turn into a calling station determined to see the showdown at any price.
This is a new situation that hasn't been specifically covered in an article yet. If you are playing against an aggressive opponent who often tries to raise his adversaries out of pots, you can play a line to induce a bluff that is very similar to a call down.
$1/$2 No-Limit Hold'em (6 handed)
CO $200, LAG, very aggressive postflop
Hero $200
Pre-flop: Hero is Big Blind with A, Q
2 folds, CO raises to $6, 2 folds, Hero calls.
Flop: ($13) Q, 8, 4 (2 players)
Hero checks, CO bets $9, Hero calls.
Turn: ($31) J (2 players)
Hero checks, CO bets $20, Hero calls.
River: ($71) A (2 players)
Hero checks, CO bets $61, Hero calls.
With TPTK, you have several ways to play the hand. Since your opponent is very aggressive and will continuation bet nearly 100% of the time, your standard line is to check the flop.
You should check/raise after he contibets to get value from hands like KQ, QJ or any draws (although not many are possible). Build up the pot so that you can be all-in by the showdown.
You could also let your opponent's aggression get the better of him. He will often fire a 2nd barrel on any scare card and try to get you off of a weak top pair. Check/call on the flop and a check on the turn give him the chance to do so. The K is basically the only card you don't want to see, nothing else will get you sweating. The turn card isn't bad. He can easily fire a 2nd barrel on the jack to get 2nd pair and 99/TT to fold. He could, of course, have caught up with QJ, but his range is too wide for you to fold.
The River is the best card for another check/call. He may very well have hit the A and think he can value bet against a hand like KQ. And even if the A doesn't help, it's certainly a great scare card for him to fire a 3rd barrel on.
You can easily call with top two pair. There is little sense in check/raising, since he will hardly ever pay you off with a weaker hand. Remember, he is an aggressive player who tries to steal pots. He won't make any poor calls with a weak (two) pair.
This example shows how you can turn an opponent's aggression against him. Doing so, however, requires a good read. And remember, you have to make the decision to call on each street. You can't call on the turn with the intent of calling on the river. As much as this might resemble a typical FL call down, this is not a decision that was based on your hand's equity vs. your opponent's hand range, but rather a decision made based on the read you had on the opponent in the hand.
You need to tailor your play to the opponent at hand in a battle for the blinds. You will often notice a lot of opponents playing too aggressively in the battle for the blinds. The best adjustment you can make to your game: play more passively and try to induce bluffs more often.
This usually results in a type of call down, both in and out of position, and basically follows the same line of thought from the last section. Remember: You must tailor your play to the opponent at hand. Once you've found a suitable opponent, you can take a passive approach to the hand.
Be on the watch for opponents that play too aggressively in blind battles and try to induce bluffs from them when you have showdown value on a dry board.
There are basically only two types of hands that you can call down with in NL Hold'em. Remember: this line must be tailored to the opponent at hand! There is little sense in calling down against a passive opponent, since they won't bluff. You need an aggressive opponent!
After you've been playing for awhile you will reach the point where you can't get excited about flopping a set of aces, quads or a full house. These are all great hands and you should burst with excitement every time you hit the board so beautifully.
But if you've reached that point, where you don't feel a thing when you flop the nuts, it's probably because they haven't paid off in the recent past. The problem: Your opponents can rarely have hit anything when you have all the good cards. The only money that's still going to enter the pot is the your bet that everyone is going to fold to. Slowplaying these monsters can be a way to extract more value.
You obviously aren't afraid of anything to come, so you can afford to give away free cards. This gives your opponent the chance to either make the 2nd best hand or try a bluff. Whatever gets him to invest is good for you.
You won't, of course, play this like a true call down when it comes to the river. Your goal is to make your opponent think he is better. If he doesn't think he can call with the best hand, he should think he can bluff you when you make your bet on the river.
Medium strength hands can be played as a type of "true" call down. Aside from facing an aggressive opponent, two other conditions must be fulfilled in order to call down with a medium strength hand profitably:
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Showdown Value:
You need a hand with enough showdown value to call bets on every street. Hitting middle pair on the flop isn't the best hand to do this with, because there are too many overcards out there. Top pair is a much better hand for this line, since you will then rarely see an overcard. You can also extract the most value while playing for pot control when your opponent has top pair, as well.
-
The Board Structure:
The board structure is also a very important factor. The board should not be too draw heavy; you would hate to give away a cheap card and end up paying your opponent off when he hits and value bets.
The board should also have a texture that allows your opponent to bluff. He needs to think he can represent a good hand with a bluff bet. You can use this like with TPTK against aggressive opponents, since they will often bluff with A high after having previously shown aggression. You can easily call this bluff, because an A would give you two pair and your opponent would probably think he could then bet for value.
Boards that present wa/wb situations are often suitable for calling down with medium strength hands.
As you can see, a number of factors need to come together before you can choose a passive line that looks like a call down to induce a bluff. Do not confuse this line with the mathematically based call down found in FL Hold'em.
Conclusion
You should now understand why the concept of calling down as found in FL Hold'em cannot be directly applied to NL games. You have, however, seen examples of situations in which you can play a type of call down in NL, but for completely different reasons.
In summary, the main points to take to heart:
You can play a type of call down in NL Hold'em when...
- you are facing an aggressive opponent
- you have a monster hand
- you are in a wa/wb situation
- you have a medium strength hand on a suitable board
